Shank stiffener for shoes



Feb. 22, 1944.

H. GORDON SHANK STIFFENER FOR SHOES Filed June 1, 1942 Patented Feb. 22,1944 UNITED STATES iiliTENT OFFICE Hiram Gordon, Columbus, Ohio,assigner to The Walker T.

Dickerson Company, Columbus,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 1, 1942, Serial No. 445,336

4 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe shank reenforcements, having particularreference to an improved shank stiffener of the type employed inreenforcing the arch construction or instep regions of shoe soles.

Metallic shank stiileners have been employed for many years in varioustypes of shoes, and the advantages and improvements attending their useare `now well understood by shoe manufacturers and wearers alike. Suchstiffeners, however, as heretofore formed, comprise integral sheet metalstampings of steel or the like which are, often, arched longitudinallyand bowed transversely to conformto the arch or instep configuration ofthe shoes in which they are incorporated.

There are certain objections present in these conventional shankstiffeners which this invention aims to overcome. For instance, thesolid one-piece construction of standardtypes of shank stifleners renderthe same in many cases objectionably heavy, rigid, cumbersome andcostly. Moreover, due to their integral one-piece construction, it isnecessary for shoe manufacturers to employ a considerable number ofsizes of such stiieners in order that the latter may be prop.- erlyadapted to shoes of diiierent widths. Again, it is customary to placesuch shank stifieners between the insole and outsole of a shoe `so thatsuch stiffeners may occupy a pocket or chamber formed between said solesandthe welting ribs thereof. In shoe manufacture, it is a commonpractice to fill such pockets or chambers with insulating compositionsuch as ground cork, mineral wool or the like, and because of theirimperforate construction, standard shank stiffeners interfere with theproper incorporation of the insulating materials into such internal solechambers.

In order to overcome th'eseand other objections, the present inventionhas for an object the provision of an improved shank stiffener which isformed wholly from a length of wire and which is fashioned to .produce aplurality of spaced substantially yparallel sections which are archedlongitudinallyto conformto shoe soie conguration and which, when placedin a shoe, are light in weight, provide proper support for the foot of awearer, .may be economically manufactured and do not interfere to anysubstantial degree with the incorporation of filler compositions in thechambers or pockets formed between the joined insole and outsole of ashoe.

It is another object of the invention to so construct my improved shankstiffener that one of the wire legs or members thereoi is resilientlymovable in the horizontal plane of the stiiiener within regulatedlimits, so that the sti-tiener may be adapted .for longitudinalengagement with the weiting ribs of shoe insoles of various widths, sothat through such adjustment, the number ci" shank stiffeners for shoesof diierent sizes may substantially reduced over that now required withthe employment of standard integral and solid shank stiffeners ofplate-like ormation.

For a further vunder-standing of the invention, reference is to be hadto the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

l is a bottom plan view of a shoe insole disclosing my improved shankstiffener incorporated therein, the outsole being omitted in order toillustrate the operating position of the shank stiiener in relation tothe welt ribs of the insole, the stiffener being shown in its fullyexpanded position as when employed in an insole possessing considerablewidth;

Fig. 2 is a similar view disclosing the shank stiiener when contracted.as when employed in a shoe sole oi a width narrower than that depictedin Fig. 1;

3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the instep orarch region of a welted shoe and illustrating 'the operative positionsoccupied by Vmy improved stiffener therein;

Fig. e is a perspective view ci the shank stiliener forming a preferredform of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the specific enibodiment of the presentinvention illustrated in the drawing. the numeral'l designates thestandardoutsole of a shoe, the insole being indicated at 2 and the upperor body portion vof the shoe at 3. These parts may be formed from theusual materials employed in shoe manufacture and assembled by customarymethods. Thus, in the welt type of shoe shown in the drawing, the insolehas its under surface marginally cut to provide downwardly extendingribs 4. Similarly, the marginal portions of the outsole are providedwith welts 5, `and the lower marginal portions of the upper'or body v3 fare disposed between Vthe ribs t and the welts '5 and arepermanently'secured in connection therewith by transverse stitching 6.The body 3, of course, includes the usual inner lining 1 and the leatheror semistii reenforcing counter 8. A sock lining 9 may be applied, asusual, to the interior of the shoe. Likewise, as is customary, themarginal portions of the outsole, which are employed in producing thewelt 5, are united by the stitching shown at I0.

In providing my improved shank reenforcement in a shoe of this generalcharacter, the shoe while held on a last and prior to the applicationthereto of the outsole and heel, has placed thereon a metallic shankstiener I2 of the form disclosed particularly in the drawing. Instead ofbeing formed from blanks of sheet metal, the stiener I2 is formed from asuitable length of wire. This wire is bent, preferably by a suitableforming machine, to provide a stationary outer leg I 3 which, when thestiffener is positioned on an insole, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, hasextended longitudinal engagement with the outer of the ribs 4.

'Ihe leg I3 toward the heel end of the shoe is inwardly bent as at I4and is flattened as at I5, terminating in a substantially hook-shapedheel extremity I5. The length of wire, forming the stiffener, is thenfolded upon itself to lie immediately below and to conform to theconfiguration of the heel extremity I6, as indicated at I'I, the portionIl being spaced from the portion I6 in order to produce an elongatedslot I8 at the heel end of the stiffener. The hook-shaped portion Ilterminates in a longitudinally extending centrally disposed leg I9,which extends the full length of the stiffener and has its forward endterminated in a flattened head 2t. The latter is rigidly connected withthe U-shaped portion 2i of the forward end of the stiifener.

The portion 2| on one side is joined with a flaring loop 22 which mergesinto the forward end of the leg I3, While the opposite side of theportion 2i is shaped to form a loop 23 which merges into a resilientlymovable or adjustable leg 24. The leg 24 extends generally parallel withthe legs I3 and I9, being disposed, as shown in Fig. 3, in approximatelythe same horizontal plane as the stationary leg I3 but slightly abovethat of the center or tie leg I9. 'I'he leg 24 is adapted to closelyengage and follow the general configuration of the inner of the ribs 4,being positively but resiliently maintained in such engagement. This isaccomplished by providing the heel end of the leg 24 with a attenedextremity 25 which is movably positioned in the slot I8, permitting theleg 24 to be flexed from its expanded or outermost position, as shown inFig. l, to its contracted position disclosed in Fig. 2. It will thus beseen that by the provision of the resiliently movable leg 24, thestiffener may be adapted conveniently to shoe soles varying con.-siderably in width. thereby reducing the number of models necessary forshoes of all sizes and widths.

In view of the foregoing, it will be manifest that the present inventionprovides a very lightweight, efficient and inexpensive shank stiffenerfor shoes. This stiffener may be incorporated in shoes in exactly thesame manner as is now done with the plate type of stiflener, but withthe added advantages of lightness in weight, economy in manufacture,adaptability to shoes of various widths and providing, further, an openconstruction by means of which filler compositions, as shown at 2S, andwhich consists usually of ground cork admixed with a suitable binder,

insulating wool and the like, may be inserted for the improvedprotection of the shoe sole against heat transmission.

The forward end of the stiffener, as shown at 2l, 22 and 23, is flaredand fiattened, as it were, to provide a seat for the reception of theusual metatarsal pad or button 21. The stifiener as a whole is archedlongitudinally to conform to the desired configuration o-f the arch orinstep portion of the shoe in which it is placed. The central tie leg I9rigidly connects the opposite extremities of the stiener, so thatundesirable elongation thereof under the weight of the shoe wearer isprevented. By placing the central leg I9 somewhat below the plane of theouter legs I3 and 24, the stiiener will resiliently resist verticallyapplied downwardly directed forces, providing a cushioning action whichcontributes to the comfort of the shoe wearer.

The hook-shaped extremity at the heel end of the shoe is located ordisposed so that it will surround an opening 28 in the insole employedin the fastening of an associated heel.

While the invention has been particularly de- 25 scribed in connectionwith a preferred form thereof, it will be understood that the same isnot limited thereto, since various changes may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as the same is set forth in theappended 3() Claims.

What I claim is:

1. A shank stiffener for shoes comprising a wire body formed to providea pair of outer leg members and a central leg member, said outer 35 legmembers being spaced for engagement with the welt forming ribs of a shoeinsole, and said central leg member being disposed in a horizontal planeslightly below that of the outer leg members. whereby to render thestifener resiliently yieldable to vertically applied forces.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a shank stiffener for shoes composedof a wire body formed to provide spaced substantially parallellyextending leg members, said members terminat ing at their forward endsin a flaring pad-receiving seat and at their rear ends in a heelfastening eye.

3. A shank stifener for shoes comprising a wire body formed to provide apair of insole rib engaging leg members, said members being curvedlongitudinally to conform to the configuration of the arch or instepregion of a shoe, and a centrally disposed intermediate leg memberuniting the forward and heel ends of the 55 stifiener againstlongitudinal extension when the stiifener is operatively positioned in ashoe.

4. A shank stifener for shoes comprising a wire body formed to providestationary and resiliently movable outer leg members, said leg membersterminating at their forward ends in a flaring pad-receiving seat, and acentral leg member disposed between said outer leg members and unitingthe heel end of the outer leg member with the central portion of saidseat, said cen- 65 tral and outer leg members forming a slot in whichthe heel terminal of said resilient outer leg member is movablyconfined.

HIRAM GORDON.

